Over the next hour or so, Davon made himself comfortable in the belltower. It was a small circular room with a staircase leading up to the belfry itself.

  Davon decided to set up ‘camp’ under the stairs. He used the empty explosives crate from Taz as a seat, placing his bedroll over it for padding. Tucking his pack into a corner, he sat down and looked around his hideout.

  Bare-bones, but livable, he thought.

  Next came a short rest. Davon knew he needed it, but it was hard to sit there idly. He tried to make good use of the time by focusing on his Reliquary. Holding the bow in his lap, he stared at the remaining three blank rune slots.

  Expanding my options would be a good idea, he concluded.

  Davon tried to consider his choices carefully. The Boneshapers in Walden’s Hold had told him he could change the runes at will, but he still felt nervous about carving the runes himself. He went back and forth for a while, debating various courses of action.

  ‘You’re thinking yourself in circles, D.’

  Kai’s voice echoed in Davon’s memory, bringing a sudden smile to his face.

  Kai was right. Davon’s instincts had served him well over the past day’s events. Why stop trusting them now?

  Thinking over the morning’s success gave Davon an idea. He could use his remaining runes to lean into the art of the ambush.

  Finally ready to begin, Davon called upon his connection with his Reliquary.

  First, inspired by the Vanguard’s explosives, he carved a Trap rune into his bow. He imagined conjuring a rune onto a surface, something he could leave behind as a ‘present’ for unsuspecting foes.

  Davon felt his Reliquary shudder in his hands, followed immediately by a strange sensation at the very edge of his awareness. When he focused on it, he felt as if something was tickling the back of his mind. A few moments later, the feeling transformed into something other: an all too familiar thread, connecting Davon with his weapon.

  Well… that was new, Davon thought, unsure how to feel about the experience. Or has it been like that every time, and I was just now able to sense it?

  Driven by both need and curiosity, Davon pulled on the mental threads once again, connecting with a second blank rune. This time, he visualized a simple illusory trick: conjuring the image of an object or person.

  As his weapon shuddered in his hands yet again, Davon turned his attention inward, eagerly waiting for the strange sensation to arise. When it did, he followed the process in its entirety, consciously aware of every moment until another thread formed.

  Davon looked down at his Reliquary, watching the new rune materialize on its side.

  It seems our connection is growing stronger, Davon thought. He gazed at the bow in awe. And to think I once looked at it as just a weapon.

  Davon decided to leave the final rune blank for the time being, just in case he needed to improvise. Then he pushed himself onto his feet and climbed the stairs into the belfry.

  It was time to get back to work.

  While his assignment was only as specific as ‘scouting the city’, Davon had his own goal. He intended to discover where Tenebris spent most of his time and learn more about the Crimson Reaver general.

  Davon knew he would have to be extremely careful around Tenebris. Dragons had some rather terrifying capabilities. Most concerning for Davon was the draconic ability to see through invisibility and most other illusions. And while Davon had no proof to confirm that Tenebris WAS a dragon, he decided it would be best not to try his luck.

  Davon needed to work under the assumption that the general did, indeed, possess the full range of draconic abilities. Approaching the situation in any other way left Davon open to unpleasant surprises.

  Davon spent about half an hour in the belfry, tracking the movements of nearby patrols. The Crimson Reavers had changed their routes drastically since that morning. They had also tripled the number of patrols in the area surrounding the ruined forge.

  Once he was confident he knew the enemy’s new routes, Davon set off towards the city’s inner walls. He invoked his Invisibility rune and hopped carefully from rooftop to rooftop, relying on Shadow-step when he thought he couldn’t make the jump.

  Paying attention to the city below him, Davon noticed a concentration of Crimson Reaver presence on the large street which connected the outer wall gates to the inner wall gates. The Duke’s Road, if Davon remembered correctly. It seemed as though the Crimson Reavers were putting all of their efforts into reinforcing that street, while mostly ignoring the rest of the city.

  Thinking this could be valuable information for the siege, Davon decided to explore around the outer city more before moving on. He changed course, moving parallel to the inner walls instead of directly towards them.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Sure enough, the farther he moved from the Duke’s Road, the less Davon ran into Crimson Reavers. There were still patrols, but they were significantly smaller compared to the ones near the Duke’s Road, and far more spread out.

  Pausing, Davon thought through the benefits of finding a suitable spot for a hideout here, compared to the belfry. On one hand, finding a new hideout deeper in the city would decrease his chances of being discovered. On the other, if he stayed beneath the belfry, it would be easier to keep an eye on the area the Crimson Reavers were actively reinforcing.

  After a few minutes, he decided on a compromise. He would keep his hideout beneath the belfry for now, but if he was ever discovered, he would move further from the Duke’s Road. If he managed to run away successfully, anyway.

  Davon turned back towards the inner walls and continued moving forward. Traveling over rooftops, it didn’t take him long to reach the massive inner walls of the city. He chose the tallest nearby rooftop he could find and tried to take it all in.

  Even in their dilapidated state, the inner walls of Heinburg were a sight to behold. They were taller than the outer walls, so tall that Davon could barely see the ramparts from his vantage point.

  Davon was once again thankful for his enhanced Revenant senses. Using his powerfully keen eyesight, he could just make out several Crimson Reaver soldiers patrolling along the inner wall. This was no surprise.

  What did surprise Davon, however, was the sight of a familiar red-plumed helmet.

  The Red Plume, as Davon decided to call her in that moment, was strolling casually down the rampart. A Necromancer walked beside her, head turned towards the Duelist as if they were listening to her speak.

  Curious, Davon hopped from roof to roof until he was close enough to Shadow-step onto the inner wall ramparts. Taking a second to look around when his vision refocused, he was surprised to see that the inner walls only had about as many guards on them as the outer walls.

  Davon then cast his eyes on inner Heinburg. This was where the well-to-do and nobility lived. Compared to the packed buildings of the outer city, the inner city’s villas and manors seemed almost wasteful. Even in their abandoned state, the opulence of these homes was apparent at a glance, marred only by the presence of Crimson Reavers.

  The inner city was crawling with the enemy’s elite. Davon spotted Duelists, Necromancers, and several other officers in attire he didn’t recognize. They were all striding brazenly around the snow-covered statues, fountains, and leafless hedges of inner Heinburg. Davon also counted at least five captains in similar armor to what Aelius had worn, each with their own unique helmet.

  And yet, he saw no sign of Tenebris.

  Davon turned his attention to the very center of Heinburg. A relatively small castle stood directly in the middle of the city. From his position, Davon could see a massive hole on the castle’s top.

  Maybe that’s where the general is, he thought, pulse quickening with both fear and rage.

  Forcing his mind back to the current moment, Davon crept along the inner wall ramparts towards the Red Plume and the Necromancer.

  When he was close enough to hear their voices, Davon cursed internally. The two were speaking in the Crimson Reaver language. Still, he continued to stalk them, hoping to glean some insight from observation.

  Just as Davon was ready to move on, the Necromancer raised his voice. The pair halted. The Necromancer took an aggressive stance, pointing an accusatory finger at the other’s chin.

  Without a word, the Red Plume grabbed the Necromancer by the throat and lifted them effortlessly off the ground. She pushed the robed figure against the ramparts until half the poor thing’s body was hanging off the edge.

  The Red Plume growled something. The Necromancer gasped out a response, provoking the Red Plume to push them further over the edge.

  Infighting… Davon thought, watching the altercation closely. Now THAT is an interesting development.

  So far, the Crimson Reavers had shown a completely unified front, so this exchange definitely piqued Davon’s curiosity.

  Before anything else could happen, however, the thunderous sound of heavy footsteps drew Davon’s attention back towards the city center. He was just in time to see Tenebris crawl out of the hole in the top of the castle. The general lifted his head and began to roar out a message to his soldiers.

  Fear gripped Davon, and he quickly threw himself off of the rampart on the inner city side. While still in mid-air, he Shadow-stepped onto the balcony of a nearby villa and ducked under the awning that covered it.

  Tenebris’ words, spoken in the Crimson Reaver language, echoed harshly through the inner city. Davon covered his hands with his ears and gritted his teeth.

  Only when the voice ceased did Davon lift his head and start to look around. A glance at the castle showed him that the general had vanished back into the hole. Meanwhile, every Crimson Reaver in the area had stopped whatever they were doing. They were all now walking towards the castle.

  Turning back towards the ramparts, Davon saw that the Necromancer was still being held by the Red Plume, dangling dangerously over the edge. Only moments later, the Red Plume let go of the other Crimson Reaver. The robed figure fell to the ground below, landing with a loud crash about a dozen feet away from Davon’s hiding spot.

  Davon’s eyes darted back up to the ramparts. Dusting herself off, the Red Plume walked calmly to the nearest staircase and down into the inner city.

  Once she was out of sight, Davon rapidly Shadow-stepped up to the ramparts and back into the outer city. Then he took off, hopping from rooftop to rooftop as fast as he could.

  He ignored the burning at the base of his skull. He didn’t stop to look around at what the Crimson Reavers in the outer city were doing. He just ran all the way back to his hideout, only slowing down a couple hundred feet away from the belfry to make sure he wasn’t being followed.

  When he arrived at the belltower, Davon collapsed into his improvised seat under the stairs, breathing heavily. Only once he stopped moving did he realize how fast his heart was beating. Too much had happened all at once. He needed time to wrap his head around all of it.

  Tenebris’ location. Infighting within the Crimson Reaver ranks. The sheer number of powerful units gathered in the inner city. The barricades… Davon found himself overwhelmed.

  Trying to calm down, he reached into his pack and pulled out a notebook, quill, and a bottle of ink. Then, rapidly, he began marking down everything he had seen. Not only would this organize all the new information for the Vanguard, but putting his thoughts to paper also helped sort out the mess in his mind.

  By the time he finished writing about the Crimson Reavers’ defenses, Davon’s heartbeat had slowed. He was able to think straight again.

  Looking over the many pages he had filled in the notebook, Davon shook his head.

  Hell of a day, he thought. Heh, I hope not every day here will be as packed as this.

  Returning the notebook to his pack, Davon spread out his bedroll under the stairs and lay down. If he wanted to be ready for whatever came next, he was going to need some rest.

  He had probably risked his neck enough for one day.